


Not to Be

by Rivulet027



Category: Power Rangers Ninja Storm, Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-03-22
Updated: 2011-03-22
Packaged: 2017-10-17 04:59:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/173154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rivulet027/pseuds/Rivulet027
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dustin had been ordered to heal the Runner, then set him on his way. What happens when three Wraith show up?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not to Be

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with the Power Rangers or Stargate Atlantis. Neither is my toy box, I’m merely playing.  
> A/N: This would be set before SGA episode “Runner” and has the PR verse existing in the Pegasus galaxy. Also written for pr_bingo prompt morphed:duty and the pr_au100 prompt #26 Just Passing Through.

Dustin brushed the hair from the other man’s face. His eyes roamed down over his chest rising and falling with deliberate slowness. Dustin smiled to himself as his fingers ran over the other man’s arm feeling that the device he’d just removed had done its job. The man’s broken arm was healed. Dustin could also feel the slight tension of forced relaxation as his fingers finished skimming over the man in his care.

He rocked back on his heels and once again ran his eyes over the warrior lying before him. He wet his lips, was about to speak, when his morpher beeped.

Dustin gathered up the device he’d just removed and placed it in his pack. Once the pack was secured on his shoulder he exited the hut. He tapped his morpher, “Go for Dustin.”

“How is he?” Cam’s tense voice greeted back.

Dustin shrugged as he looked towards the Ring of the Ancestors. He frowned at the traveling device that the man had come stumbling through.

“Dustin,” Cam reminded, “your morpher doesn’t transmit gestures.”

“I thought this area was under surveillance?”

“It’s a lazy habit to get into,” Cam told him dryly.

Dustin smiled at Cam’s tone, “He’s good, Dude. His broken arm is healed and he’s pretending to be asleep.”

He glanced back to the hut as he heard movement. The man was obviously taking the opportunity to look around. Dustin tilted his head, concentrating to determine if his patient was doing more than sitting and getting his bearing.

“What is it?” Cam asked.

“Nothing, I should be getting back to him.”

“If he’s well enough to be awake then he needs to leave.”

“I know,” Dustin sighed.

“The Wraith have a tracking device in him,” Cam reminded.

“Which we could remove,” Dustin pointed out.

“That would bring them down on us. Exposing ourselves isn’t worth one man, you know the rules,” Cam told him, voice strict.

“Yeah, Dude,” Dustin agreed with a sigh and a frown as he looked back to the hut.

“Get him out of here.”

“He’s a warrior,” Dustin tried.

“He’s a Runner,” Cam countered in an exasperated tone before he asked, “Do I need to get Shane or my father to explain our rules again?”

“Dude,” Dustin complained.

“It’s not our duty to protect him,” Cam reminded.

“Shouldn’t it be our duty to protect everyone?” Dustin asked.

“To the point that we overextend ourselves and lose all the people under our protection?”

Dustin slumped. Cam had a point, even if Dustin would rather save the man in the hut.

“Got it,” Dustin told him, “he’s going.”

“Good.”

Nodding Dustin cut their transmission and took deliberately loud steps towards the hut. The man was once again feigning sleep when he entered. Dustin smiled, eyes sweeping over him once more. He wondered if he would ever have a presence as strong as the one this warrior could convey even while feigning unconsciousness.

“Nice try Dude,” Dustin told him, “but you’re awake.”

Dark eyes opened and accessed him while one hand gripped the weapon at his side. Dustin tilted his head.

“Where am I?”

“That’s not important. You’re safe for the moment, but you’ll need to move on before the Wraith decide to come after you again.”

The man sat up slowly watching him, “You know what I am?”

Dustin nodded.

“And you took the time to heal me?”

“Better that you’re only passing through then you die on our planet and the Wraith come.”

The man nodded, before he picked at the shirt he was wearing, “This isn’t mine.”

“It’s to the replace the one we took from you, it was like totally destroyed Dude.”

“My name’s not Dude.”

Dustin shrugged and smiled, “I’m Dustin.”

The other man regarded him a moment, eyes traveling over him again before he said, “Ronon.”

“Hi.”

Ronon looked at him silently for a moment before pulling his own pack closer and began to change out of the long sleeved white shirt Dustin had put him in.

“Trini brought it,” Dustin informed him, wondering how to convey the importance of that, “She knows how a person aligns with their color, if you were a warrior among our people white would be yours.”

Ronon finished pulling another shirt over his head before he pointed out, “I’m not.”

“Which is why you’re leaving.”

Ronon nodded as he folded the white shirt and added it to his pack. He stood and brushed himself off before he frowned and lifted the arm that had been healed. He turned it slowly, taking in that it was fully healed. His eyes swept over to Dustin again as he pointed out gruffly, “It was broken.”

“And you’ll stand a better chance against them with it fixed,” Dustin told him, wanting to say more, wanted to apologize that they couldn’t help him further.

“Got any food?”

“Right over there Dude,” Dustin pointed, “You’re more than welcome to take what you’d like.”

Ronon’s eyes roamed over him again, before the larger man nodded and moved towards the food, filling his pack, then gathering his things. He started to exit the tent, but paused in front of Dustin.

Dustin frowned, he felt awful. He wanted to do more. He…he was suddenly pushed up against the wall of the hut, Ronon barred down on him as he demanded, “Your devices can fix broken bones, could you remove it?”

Dustin closed his eyes, the shame washing over him. He opened his eyes, met Ronon’s piercing gaze, “I tried, but it’s against our rules.”

Ronon’s grunt of acknowledgement was one of disgust, but before he can say anything the familiar whirl of the Ring filled the air. Ronon’s head snapped around towards the sound, “Wraith.”

Fear washed over him and resignation. He’d just healed Ronon and he wasn’t supposed to give his people away, helping Ronon fight off the Wraith might do so. Ronon’s turned, their faces only a breath away as he asked, “Do you have a place to hide?”

“Yes,” Dustin answered.

Ronon’s hands suddenly grasped his face then, eyes searched over him imploringly, “My weapons did you…”

“I only removed the ones needed to heal you and put them in your pack,” Dustin responded. He’d been surprised by the sheer volume of them hidden on the man, but had steered clear of actually removing anything that wasn’t necessary.

“Hide,” Ronon ordered before he darted out the door.

Dustin soon followed swiftly at his heels, except that while Ronon moved forward he ran to a nearby clearing and sank into the earth beneath his feet. After he had done so he carefully reached out with his sense, let the earth itself tell him where Ronon was and that there were three Wraith coming through the Ring.

Dustin rose and hit his morpher, “If he dies here...”

“You can’t,” Cam stated, “If he dies here they take him and leave.”

“It’s three against one!”

“If you reveal yourself, you reveal everyone,” Cam reminded.

“Not if they’re dead,” Dustin growled, before he launched into his morph, “Ninja Storm Ranger Form Ha!”

Even as he Ninja Streaked to where the Wraith were, even as he slammed the first two with his lion hammer, he could hear Cam yelling at him. Then Shane’s voice joined in, “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“Not leaving him for dead!” Dustin answered as he flipped backwards and changed to his Ninja Sword as Ronon joined him.

“I had a plan!”

“Against three?”

“It’s worked against two.”

“Great plan,” Dustin commented as he chopped the Wraith’s, that had been running towards him, hand off, then swiftly cut off his head.

“Tori and I are going to guard the gate,” Shane stated in his ear, “Blake, Hunter and Cam should be with you shortly."

Ronon shot the other until it was no longer moving as the third actually began to run away.

“Wraith run away?” Dustin asked.

“Not usually,” Ronon stated as he shot it in the back.

Dustin switched to his Laser blaster and fired in tandem.

“Why didn’t you pull that out to begin with?” Ronon asked as the Wraith went down.

“Doesn’t work as well against them,” Dustin informed him, “but I figured with your weapon it might help.”

Ronon nodded as he began destroying the bodies.

As he powered down Dustin contacted Shane and told him that the Wraith were already dead.

“We’re heading back then,” Shane said, “just make sure he moves on. If they think he killed all of them they shouldn’t start searching.”

“Thank you,” Dustin said.

“Don’t think you’re out of the hot water yet,” Cam reminded.

“I know.”

Dustin looked up to see Ronon watching him, he responded by shrugging and grinning.

“They’re dead,” Ronon reassured.

Dustin nodded, “Dude, so totally got that part.”

Ronon grinned.

“I’m sorry,” Dustin told him again.

Ronon nodded, “It’s not your people’s way.”

Dustin nodded, frowned and stared at his feet as he admitted, “We have people we’re sworn to protect.”

Ronon’s fingers caught his chin, urged him to look up, “I’m not thanking your people. I’m thanking you.”

Dustin smiled slightly, it still wasn’t right.

Ronon’s lips were light against his, the kiss a brush, meant to be quick. It sent heat through Dustin’s body, he wanted more, but he couldn’t ask, couldn’t push, not when they had done so little for Ronon. Ronon started to pull back, made a noise in the back of his throat and then brought his hand up to cup Dustin’s face, as he pulled him back into a fuller kiss. Dustin pressed closer, their lips parted towards a promise of more, a promise that they both pulled away from.

Dustin closed his eyes and pressed his lips together. He had to walk away. He shouldn’t have given in and kissed Ronon back, even if he’d wanted to do so since the moment he’d laid eyes on the unconscious Runner that had stumbled through the Ring.

Dustin opened his eyes, took a step back. He took in the intensity of the eyes watching him and began to explain as much to remind himself as to inform Ronon of their ways, “There was once a great warrior among my people. She was one of the protectors. We refer to her now as Cassie the Lost. We stay among our own people, as self-sufficient as we can be. One of the worlds we consider ours was attacked. Cassie and the warriors she served with were sent to protect as many people as possible. They would’ve lost except for the help of a stranger. He came time and again, but remained mysterious until the people began referring to him as a Phantom. Yet Cassie was caught. She left our world and it’s protection, went back on her duties as one of our warriors to search for him. She was never heard from again.”

“So I shouldn’t have kissed you,” Ronon smirked.

“You’re just passing through,” Dustin reminded.

Ronon smiled, “Yeah, more Wraith to go kill.”

Dustin watched silently as Ronon retrieved his pack and began moving towards the Ring. He told himself to stay where he was. As much as a part of him wanted to know what was out there, beyond their worlds, he was a chosen protector. He was a Power Ranger. He had been chosen to protect his people. Ronon, sadly, wasn’t among them.

“May the Ancestors watch over you,” Dustin called in departure.

Ronon turned, shook his head and waved. He walked backwards for a ways before he turned around. Dustin watched silently, waited until Ronon had passed through the Ring before he turned to return to the fake abandon village of huts so that he could remove any evidence that anyone had been there.

If the Wraith came it had to look as though they had encounter Ronon, who’d killed them and left.

His people had been so careful over the years that it was as if most of them no longer existed. Now Dustin was left to wonder if that was as good as he’d once thought it to be.


End file.
